Honolulu Zoo Free Day: Each year, more than 750,000 people visit the Honolulu Zoo, which is spread out over 42 acres and is a famous attraction. It is in Waikiki’s 300-acre Kapiolani Park and is the biggest zoo of its kind for 2,300 miles. It is a local treasure. Someone might wonder, given its unique situation on the coast and the huge Pacific Ocean that surrounds it. As a result, the Honolulu Zoo feels special and unique, making it a great place for families and animal fans alike.
It is amazing to see animals and enjoy the natural beauty at the zoo, which is part of the huge Kapiolani Park. People have a unique and enriching experience when they become immersed in the different settings and exhibits. The ocean is close to the Honolulu Zoo, which makes it even more appealing as a refuge.
This zoo’s breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean make it a one-of-a-kind place to connect with animals. More than that, the Honolulu Zoo is a place where animal lovers can relax. It’s also a place to enjoy the ocean and nature wonders.
Ultimate Guide to Visiting the Honolulu Zoo
You can read about my favorite things to do at the Honolulu Zoo and why it’s a great place for families to spend time in Oahu. You can find useful information and affiliate links in this thorough guide, which Hawaii travel expert Marcie Cheung wrote. You can help keep this blog going by clicking on my affiliate links and making purchases.
If you want to find a great place for families to visit in Hawaii, look no further than the Honolulu Zoo. This zoo is great for toddlers and preschoolers because it is small and has a simple plan. It also has a lot of entertainment options.
Read this complete guide to discover how to get the most out of your trip to this Hawaiian zoo. This is a great place for families to go on vacation in Hawaii because there are so many fun things to do. You will also learn how easy it is to get from different Waikiki hotels to the zoo.
Please follow along as I discuss all the important details of your trip. Children and adults will both have a great time at the Honolulu Zoo, one of Oahu’s best family-friendly spots.
Head to Honolulu Zoo for Sunday ‘Ele-Fun Day’
An Asian elephant named Mari and another elephant named Vaigai live at the Honolulu Zoo. As a gift from Indira Gandhi’s family, the Watumulls sent the elephants to the kids in Hawaii. The Watumulls, who were India’s special consuls general at the time, helped bring Mari, who was born in Hyderabad in 1975, and Vaigai, who was born in Madras in 1985, to Honolulu in 1982 and 1992, alike.
A big step forward was reached when the $12 million elephant show was finished in 2010. As an example of Mrs. Watumull’s ongoing kindness, she gave $150,000 in 2012 to build a new viewing platform for elephants between the two elephant yards. Together, students from six nearby high schools worked with her to make mosaic tile paintings that cover the six support columns.
According to Linda Santos, the head of the Honolulu Zoo, the Watumulls have been very helpful over the past forty years. She emphasized how their foresight, persistence, and ties to India made it possible for the zoo to get two Asian elephants. Starting at 10 am, kids 12 and younger who are with an adult can get into Ele-Fun Day for free because it’s David Watumull’s birthday between 2:30 and 4:00 pm. Starting at 11 am, elephants will be fed and talked to. Yesterday. Today. Sacred Hearts School band, Miss Hawaii Lauren Teruya, and the former Miss Hawaii Candles Gentry are some of the special guests. Mari and Vaigai will be giving away prizes for trunk paintings they made. At the elephant exhibit from noon to two p.m., there are educational and coloring areas.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, there are only three kinds of Asian elephants left in the world. That leaves two more species: African bush elephants and African forest elephants. But even though they are smaller than African elephants, Asian elephant bulls can weigh over 8,800 pounds, making them Asia’s biggest live-land animal. There are about 40,000 muscles in an elephant’s trunk alone, which gives them amazing strength, flexibility, and skill. They can sleep standing up or lying down.
History of the Honolulu Zoo
People in Hawaii were able to reach the Leahi Crown Holdings in 1876 thanks to King David Kalākaua. King Kalākaua named Kapiolani Regional Park after his wife, Queen Kapiolani, and dedicated it after a year. On the 300 acres of fishponds, lagoons, marshes, and islands, a park group was set up to take care of them. Thanks to royal funding, the park was built and now has a horse race track and the King’s Bird collection.
The first Park Director, Ben Hollinger, added to the bird collection after the City of Honolulu took over running the park in 1914. Through the years, Kapiolani Bird Park has grown to include three big aviary complexes that use good methods for bird care and breeding.
For 42.5 acres of Kapiolani Regional Park in 1947, the Honolulu Zoo was set up as a unique designation. Organisms from birds, reptiles, and mammals were grouped by biological classification in the original plan.
Through the use of a Tropical Zoological Garden plan, the zoo’s exhibits were rearranged into tropical natural zones in 1984. Both locals and tourists can feel safe and amazed at the Honolulu Zoo, thanks to its hardworking management and staff.
Visiting the Honolulu Zoo
While you watch the animals, please be quiet. It would help if you let a staff member know about anything that seems odd. It would help if you remembered that the animals live in the zoo, so be kind to them. Be careful not to break the glass or throw things into the displays. No matter what, you can’t feed, yell, cheer, howl, bother, torture, badger, heckle, irk, bother, or tease the animals. How nice of you!
At 151 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815, you can find the Honolulu Zoo.
Opening times: 10 am to 6 pm.m., all day. Every business is closed on Christmas Day.
At the door to the Kapahulu Avenue parking garages, you must pay $1.50 an hour (up to four hours) in cash or a credit card. Just across the street, on Monsarrat Avenue, is the Waikiki Shell parking lot, where you can park for free.
To get in, kids (3–12 years old) pay $11, and adults (13 and up) pay $19. It’s free for kids under two. It costs $8 for the military and Kama’āina.
Honolulu Zoo returns to opening 7-day a week
The Honolulu Zoo will have hours seven days a week again starting on November 17. Around 10 am, the store will open. From 3:30 to 5:30, the grounds will be closed. Following business hours, they begin at 2:30 pm.
At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was still going on, Mayor Kirk Caldwell talked about how the zoo was a safe and educational place where families could go to be outside, connect with nature, and learn about the many rare animals that live there. “The Honolulu Zoo is one of the city’s many great outdoor attractions and a place to learn about conservation and protecting the animals of our planet,” stated the mayor. Face coverings and physical spacing rules were used during all of this.
The zoo follows safety rules for both visitors and employees. For example, people who aren’t under five years old or sick must cover their faces. There are physical distance markers at exhibits, and ushers monitor and limit the number of people who can be in certain zoo areas at any given time.
Is Honolulu Zoo parking free on Sundays?
Parking is free on Sunday and State holidays.
Before, you could call ahead and extend your parking time at the Honolulu Zoo, but now you can only park for four hours. Anyway, both locals and visitors took advantage of the grace time that was given, which led to complaints about needing more parking, even in the wee hours of the morning. The zoo went back to its 4-hour limit, and a different business now runs the parking lot.
In the past, parking at the Waikiki Shell lot was free, but that may no longer be the case. If you walk past the Honolulu Zoo lot on Monsarrat Ave., you can get to the lot, which was closed a few years ago for repaving. Because parking may now be paid, it’s best to find out what’s going on. You should know that you can only park there after a while. When Waikiki Shell events are going on, parking in the lot typically costs around $7.
How long do you need at Honolulu Zoo?
about 2.5 hours
There are plenty of places to let your kids play away from the animals, a playground or this grass field. We finished everything in about 2.5 hours. It’s not a full day experience, but great time. This is a cute little zoo with a few animals I have not seen before.
Giraffes from Africa and pink flamingos are just two of the many animals at the Honolulu Zoo. The zoo has 160 species of birds, 38 species of mammals, and more than 64 species of reptiles, and you can learn a lot about the animal world there. Inside the 42-acre complex are three carefully separated tropical ecological zones: the African savanna, the Pacific Islands, and tropical jungles.
Some of the best parts are the 1.5-acre, $12 million Asian tropical elephant show. This exhibit, with its two big 55,000-gallon pools and 7,260-square-foot holding area, shows that the zoo is committed to providing a vibrant and interesting space for both people and animals.
What is special about the Honolulu Zoo?
The Honolulu Zoo is the only zoo within a radius of 2,392 miles. It is also the only zoo in the United States that originated in a King’s grant of royal lands to the people.
Honolulu Zoo is unique because it is the only zoo in a 2,392-mile radius. Formed by a king or queen who gave people royal lands, it is the only zoo in the country with that kind of history. Kings David Kalakaua and Kamehameha III were kind enough to give the Leahi Crown Holdings to the people of Hawaii in 1876.
It used to have lakes, islands, and fishponds spread out over its 300-acre area. When it was opened in 1877, Kapiolani Regional Park was named after King Kalakaua’s wife, Queen Kapiolani. The King chose members of the Park Association, who used royal funds to build a horse racing track and show the King’s collection of birds.
After the City of Honolulu took over the park in 1914, Ben Hollinger, who was the first park head, began collecting animals. As a way to help the state’s young people, he started with an African elephant, a bear, and a monkey. It became the “Kapiolani Bird Park” in 1938 and added three big aviary complexes. The park is famous for its large collection of Birds of Paradise. E.H. A well-known ornithologist named Lewis managed the creation of modern ways to care for and breed birds.
A 42.5-acre piece of land in Kapiolani Regional Park was turned into the Honolulu Zoo in 1947. When Paul Breese became the first Zoo Director, he started the original Master Plan. In 1952, it was changed to a taxonomic grouping arrangement so that animals could be seen in shows that were just for birds, reptiles, and mammals. It had twenty-eight workers when Jack Throp took over as director from the first person. They got their third head in 1979, who was Jerome S. Marr.
After releasing its Tropical Zoological Garden Master Plan in 1984, the Honolulu Zoo underwent a major change. The displays were divided into tropical ecological zones: the African Savanna, the Asian and American Tropical Forests, and the Pacific Islands.
Can I bring food into Honolulu Zoo?
We love our visitors to have a great, family-fun-filled day. This is why we allow anyone to bring in their own snacks and drinks. You can even bring your cooler! All that we ask is that you pick up your trash and place it in our trash cans on the way home.
When you walk into the Honolulu Zoo, the flamingos are colorful and happy to see you. With their beautiful feathers on show, more than 160 species of tropical birds can be seen on the grounds. Lower down, animals like crocodiles, iguanas, and Komodo dragons, which are huge and beautiful, can be found. Aardvarks, cheetahs, meerkats, and giraffes are among the animals that will be seen on the visit.
Three different areas make up the 42-acre (16-hectare) Honolulu Zoo: the African Savannah, the Pacific Islands, and the Tropical Forests. These zones, which are carefully set up to look like their natural habitats, are home to more than 250 kinds of mammals, reptiles, and birds. The nene, the Galapagos tortoises, and the local goose are all things you should keep an eye out for. The Asian elephants live in a big enclosure at the Zoo Gardens. The gardens have plants and animals that are native to Hawaii.
It is a great place for kids to go because it has the popular “Keiki” (Children’s) Zoo right in the middle of it. Llamas, tortoises, and pot-bellied pigs are just some of the animals that kids can connect with here. Across the street from this area is the well-known tiger cage and a playground. Visitors to the zoo are welcome to bring their food and drinks that aren’t alcoholic. The Kapahulu Market has food options for everyone, with a wide range of choices. This place lets you get free refills on drinks you buy.
From June through August, the Honolulu Zoo is a popular place to go at night because it has a famous concert series with singers from all over the world. Visit the website to see the list of events.
Can you park for free in Honolulu?
On-street parking in Honolulu is enforced from Monday to Saturday from 7am to 6 pm. Parking is free on Sunday and State holidays. Must-see locations in Honolulu include Honolulu Zoo, Waikiki Beach, Ala Moana Park.
Ala Moana Beach Park, the Ala Wai Canal, and the area near the Waikiki Shell are all free places to park on Waikiki Beach. Along Kaioo Drive and Wai Nani Streets, there are more free parking spots. Investigate the side streets that lead off of Kuhio and Kalakaua Avenues to find possible free parking spots. Signs need to be carefully read to make sure that parking rules are followed and spaces are reserved legally.
Waikiki Beach’s parking system might seem like a difficult puzzle to solve if you’re new to this island paradise.
For example, I learned the hard way that hotel parking can cost up to $50 per night.
However, don’t stress! I have put together a list of options, from hotels to parking lots, that will help you find cheap or free parking spots in Waikiki based on my personal experience and a lot of research.
Now, fasten your seatbelts, and let’s go on a fun parking adventure. Are you ready to park like a professional? Please continue reading to find out where we think the best place to park is in Waikiki Beach.
In October, 6-year-old Sumatran tiger Anala from the Honolulu Zoo received a new type of artificial insemination with the help of an expert group from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, which works with animals to reproduce.
According to the Honolulu Zoo, laparoscopic oviductal artificial insemination is a new technique that has only been used on a few tigers. During this process, sperm are directly put into the female’s oviducts, which are close to where the egg is released. A non-surgical transcervical method needs 100 million spermatozoa, but this method only needs one million.
Some spermatozoa that had been frozen were taken from a male Sumatran tiger that lived at another facility that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums approved. A lot of different species, like domestic cats, wolves, rhinos, oryx, clouded leopards, and the Tsushima leopard cat, have been able to have babies successfully through artificial insemination. However, for tigers, the success rate is still low—there have only been four pregnancies and no live births—their overall pregnancy rate is less than 20%.
